1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of medical devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to the field of drinking devices for assisting elderly people, patients and the like in drinking liquid by themselves.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, it is well known that elderly people in nursing homes or retirement homes do not consume enough liquid from a medical standpoint. A problem that many elderly people encounter from drinking liquid out of a cup is that they require hand-eye coordination which is difficult for elderly people with arthritis or other problems with their hands. Similarly, patients in intensive and critical care units of hospitals, e.g., burn and accident victims, also do not consume enough liquid because after surgery, they cannot move their arms and hands to grasp a drinking cup.
In the prior art, there was a suggestion pertaining to a drinking device with a drip chamber, in which a swimming member closes the passageway entrance to the drip chamber when a given liquid level is reached, so that the person can drink the liquid in the lower part of the drip chamber. The swimming member sinks downward and provides a free entrance to the refilling afflux of the drip chamber. However, the commercial production of such a drinking device has not proven to be cost effective due to high manufacturing costs.
It is therefore highly desirable to have a very efficient and also very effective design and construction of a drinking aid device which will allow elderly people, patients and the like to drink liquid on their own at any given time without the aid of nursing staff or other individuals. It is also desirable to have a valve assembly which is capable of allowing liquid flow therethrough when desired by an individual using the drinking aid device.